Lost In Purple

Chapter 58: A Forgotten Outing

Johnny's POV

This Spring Break wasn't the greatest, but I was able to get some good experience in at both Fear Tech and Monsters Incorporated. I all was doing was hanging out with Mr. Gunderson the entire time, which was something I haven't been able to do since I was little. He was asking a whole lot about how my studying is going and if I've being doing alright mentally. I told him what I always tell him, that I've been acing everything and that I've been doing fine. I would constantly reminisce about the days when he would let me watch him scare, and take me places after his shift was over. The best day was when he decided to take me to 'Creepzone,' the most fun amusement park in Monstropolis and he played all of those carnival style games that are straight up scams with me when I was eight years old. I never really got upset about not winning the prizes because it was great to just simply have fun with someone. It feels a little strange not seeing him everyday now.

Today was the last day of the class, which happens to be the first day back after Spring Break. I've been too busy to see what anybody has been up to, including Melanie, which sort of upsets me because I never wanted to be away from her in the first place. I was looking forward to going with her and her family on that camping trip as well, but like always, I couldn't have anytime to myself. All this career chasing has gotten in the way, along with the screwed up relationship that I have with my own father. All of this reminds me that those Oozma Kappa parasites are the cause of all this chaos. I would have had a relaxing end of the semester if they would have just accepted that they simply can't scare, but no, they insist on having us teach them somewhat villainously. I never wanted to be the bad guy, and yet here I am.

Seeing the ROR house inch closer and closer to me as I drive down Frat Row is nothing short of a relief. I can finally focus on one thing at a time, that thing being the Scare Games, which is what should have been the only thing from the start. At this point I want to get them over with so that I can attempt to make things better with Melanie. All this Oozma Kappa drama has caused me to unintentionally ignore her in many ways, and I've also been worrying about her for the past week after she wanted to be left alone last week. I tried texting her on multiple occasions, the first few times getting an apology and her saying that she would talk to me later, only to then not receive any answers the last few texts I sent. I've felt like I should have ditched the Scare Floor a couple of times, but I didn't want to intrude since I knew that she was going through something rough. There's also the fact that she hates surprises and I would rather not have that conversation with her again. I will just not surprise her anymore and that's final.

Just before I'm able to pull the Clawvette into the garage I feel my phone begin vibrating. I stop the car, putting in park as I dig it out from my sweater. It's my Dad again…I wonder what happened to not talking to me until after the Scare Games were over. Maybe that was a lie and he just said that because he's an asshole. I almost decide to not answer, but then I wouldn't be able to focus on just one thing at a time like I planned. I would instead have to focus on that and making sure that my father doesn't kill me.

"Hello?" I say while expecting to get yelled at like I usually do.

There's barely a half a second of silence before my father says, "Be at the Violet Grove Steakhouse within the next 30 minutes. Helga, Hank Knapp's daughter, will be waiting there for your date."

"Woah, wait, what? What are you talking about?" I ask in utter surprise.

"God Jonathan, we talked about this months ago! You are to go on this date and like it, I'm done explaining how you must only court those who have superior scaring genes. We are the best Scarers in the world and I would like to keep it that way by not having some hooligan raise your children poorly. I will no longer allow you to hook up with these insignificant harlots from the dirtiest of places. You will go on this date, and you will start to think about having a future with that young lady," My father spouts.

There's no way I forgot about this! There's no way he was serious about that! How is it fair that he got the choice of who he wanted to be with and I have to be a part of this arranged relationship bullshit? Also, Hank Knapps is reptilian! He's constantly going on about only having relations with mammalian monsters, but I guess that's how unbelievable he is! A person isn't worthy of my attention unless she says so! I can't believe keeping my relationship with Melanie a secret all these months came back to bite me like this!

"Do you understand?" My father asks.

I know that arguing further will open a whole new nightmare so I just have to agree. I will try to drill the idea into this 'Helga,' which is an incredibly unattractive name, that I'm not interested in starting a relationship. Not to mention that I can already assume that she's not going to be very beautiful either just off of what I can envision. Hank Knapps isn't very attractive, and neither is his wife, so there's no way she will be either.

"Yes sir," I mumble.

My father exhales, letting me envision him with a slight smile. He must feel relieved to hear me listen to him, even though I'm not actually going to. "Good. I look forward to hearing from you two."

I then hear a monotonously dull tone hum into my ear. He hung up on me, with no goodbye or any care in the world for that matter. I guess I'm going to have to take care of this quickly then. I hop out of the Clawvette and swiftly enter the house to go get dressed for this outing. I'm not going to sacrifice my classy nature just because I don't care about this 'date.' But of course, I even get interrupted doing that.

"Hey Johnny!" Chet screams from the kitchen.

I can't help but feel astronomically annoyed hearing another voice keep me from going about my day. The pitter-patter of his legs invade the airwaves as he waves his claws relentlessly in order to get my attention. "Javier and I want to know if you're down to go to the gym before the Hide and Sneak challenge tonight. Maybe train a little bit before wiping the floor with those Oozmas!" Chet proclaims.

That sounds like something I would rather be doing. Of course that is offered to me during a time when I can't act upon it. There's nothing else I want more than to knock Oozma Kappa out of the games and make them realize who it is they're up against.

"Sounds like fun Chet, but I have something else I have to take care of," I respond while waving him off and climbing the staircase.

"Awwww what?! It's not as fun when you aren't there though! Please?! I need help with my bench presses!" Chet whines.

"Maybe next time Chet, this is something important!" I holler back.

I hear Chet pout a little bit before grumbling to himself. I also see him sauntering back into the kitchen with his claws dragging behind him on the ground as I look out from the second floor and into the living room. He looks like a cartoon character, and I can't help but smirk, even though it's at his expense. Now I know the consequences of saying no to him in this certain case, because I've never turned down an offer like that before. That's not something I need to worry about though. I dig through my drawers and my closet, both of which I never go in because I only ever wear my ROR sweater, and pull out a white button up shirt along with a dark red suit jacket that my mother bought for me a little while ago. I basically tear off my sweater and throw both of those on, knowing that I'm wasting time by simply being in this household. I straighten everything out before throwing on a black tie and tucking it further into my suit.

"Señor," Javier says while knocking on the door frame, making my fight or flight response run wild.

Can someone like me ever be left alone?! How many stupid questions do i have to answer before I can get things done around here?!

"What is it Jav?" I sigh while double checking my look.

He walks further into my room, with his arms crossed and a brow raised. Great, I can tell he's going to speak about more drama.

"You're not going to take an opportunity to further better your Scaring? This is unlike you. I'm worried that the others won't think that you'll be ready for the event tonight after not focusing on it," Javier asks.

"Jesus Jav, since when did you turn into my father? You know better than anyone that I don't have to worry about that at all. The both of us know that they'll fail in the end," I scoff.

Javier keeps giving me his usual emotionless glare while he uncrosses his arms. "And what if they don't fail? Do you have a plan for that?"

That ignorant question causes me to narrow my eyes and stare back at him. What is it that he's trying to imply? Is it that I'm not good enough anymore, not strong enough anymore?

"This isn't something that we can just ignore anymore. If they win this next event, then that means they do have a chance at winning this," Javier grunts, "Y no voy a permitir que eso suceda."

I roll my eyes and start grabbing everything I need. My phone, my car keys, some breath mints…I think that's everything. I'm hoping I won't ever have to use those breath mints though. I would only ever consider eating one for Melanie's sake, not for some random girl my Dad likes.

"Even though that won't happen, I would have just let it go considering we got first place in all the other events, and I would admit that kicking Sullivan out was too hasty of a decision. But like I said, it won't happen," I respond, dusting that possibility off my shoulder.

"N-no, Tha…" Javier sighs while putting a hand to his head, "Jonathan, listen to me."

"I've told you several times not to call me that," I growl.

Javier hisses, letting out a couple insect clicks in the process. "LISTEN…TO…ME."

I haven't in the decades of knowing him heard him talk like that before. I've never seen him get this socially frustrated either, so this must be something important.

"It has become obvious that you're getting too caught up in proving yourself to be better than Oozma Kappa instead of focusing on your original purpose. You've done a lot for me over the years Señor, and I'm not going to forget to return the favor. I will not let you go down the wrong path," Javier states.

There really isn't a reason for him to think that since I haven't changed at all over these past few months. All I want to do is make a point to Oozma Kappa that they won't be what they think they'll become. If anything, I'm saving them the heartbreak of getting through the program and being turned down right as they get out of college.

"I'll tell you right now that I don't need you to decide what's good and bad for me, I can do that myself," I retort, "Now, I have other pressing matters to attend to and I'm going to trust you to look after Chet the Child and Bruiser the Baby. I'll be back before the event starts."

I push myself past Javier leaving him in my room, clearly annoyed. He can just stay like that for now. I really don't have time to be lectured on my character for the trillionth time in my life.

"Johnny, please! You can't possibly be-"

"I'll be back later!" I interrupt.

No words are said after that. I'm finally able to be left alone, free to deal with my own problems without anybody adding on to them…at least for now. I descend the stairs and exit the house, ready to let this Helga girl know that I'm not interested.

Holy…shit. This girl is absolutely atrocious… and I don't mean that as a compliment like it usually is. I mean that literally, like she's the grossest, and most uninteresting woman I've ever met. A woman like her should have never even stepped foot in this five star steakhouse…that's how bad she is. She has this round green body with short greasy, fluffy fur. She is definitely way too morbidly obese for my tastes but that's not what gave that away. She's inhaling plates upon plates of food, swallowing them whole while leaving all the grease running down her chin and letting it drip on the table. She has a set of small wings that she blatantly can't use since she's let herself go, and has tiny limbs that bend uncomfortably, and unnaturally, when she reaches for food. She also wears these huge glasses that look like they're from the 1970's. She also smells of rotten onions and the fumes are just wafting over into my nostrils. I'm starting to believe that my father had no idea who Helga was or even looked like. The fact that he just assumed that she was better than Melanie, who by the way looks like a literal model, baffles me beyond belief.

"So, are you ready for the next Scare Games event? I personally can't wait to see you show off big boy," Helga bellows.

I nearly puke after hearing her abnormally deep voice soar in my direction. Hearing her try to flirt with me like that causes me to develop second hand embarrassment, so I can't help but put my head into my hands. Although I'm able to successfully play it off by saying, "Sure, as long as I'm not too exhausted to take part in it."

She inhales more food, never even chewing it, and then stating with the soupy ball of food still in her mouth, "Mmm, perhaps you need to take a small vacation after it. Putting all your time into Scaring must be nothing short of exhausting. I myself try to put as much time into Scaring like you, so I can only assume you're nearing a burn out point."

Great, now I get to be lectured by her, while also learning about her at the same time. I would rather be listening to Melanie talk about her misadventures with her family or whatever else she's done over the past week.

"Uh... w-what year of college are you in again?" I ask while trying to hide my disgust. Seriously...she doesn't even wipe her mouth or use any utensils. Food is just gushing out of her mouth at this point.

"It's my sophomore year. I'm trying my best to be like my dad, and I can't do that unless I follow in your footsteps. In fact, I'm like, your biggest fan on campus. I'm even the president of the Johnny Worthington fan club," Helga responds.

…Dude…like what the fu-

"Speaking of which, would it be possible for you to pay our club a visit, maybe give us some pointers on how to become better Scarers? we hold them in the dorm rooms so you shouldn't have to travel too far." Helga says cutting me off.

Yeah that doesn't sound suspicious in any way shape or form. I can't help but exhale in physical, mental, and emotional pain. "You know…I'm unfortunately very busy and can't really find the time, but maybe some day there will be a time where I can."

Helga thinks about my response, which makes me think that she's realizing that I don't care. Not only would that be terrifying to explain, but that would be quite the hit to my reputation on campus. I refuse to let bad rumors spread around campus about me, and one floating around about me not caring about Helga would be one that causes problems for sure. Everyone in the steakhouse looks at her like they feel bad for her, so they would think that I purposefully made someone like her feel like the worst person in the world.

"I'll hope your schedule clears up then. However, I would like nothing more than for you to inspire us all…and to prove to my club mates that I'm, like, totally friends with you," Helga giggles.

I am so damn uncomfortable having someone talk to me like that that I've stopped eating entirely. It's incredibly creepy and I would like nothing more to do with this person, so I take my chance with a partial. "Th-that's good to hear. Now I'm sorry, but I do have to say that I wasn't really ready to start a relationship right now, things have been a little difficult for me lately and I rushed into this without giving it some real thought. I hope you can forgive me."

In reality, I do want a relationship, but definitely not with this...whatever this girl is.

"Mmm, that weird wolf girl must have broke that poor little heart of yours I assume. That's alright, I understand, I'll be the one that'll love you till the end of time!" Helga beams.

Yeah she obviously didn't understand what I was saying. She's dead set on dating me and won't let anyone get in her way, not even me. Helga keeps speaking however, so I can't even try to correct what was wrong.

"By the way, why have you barely eaten your food?" Helga asks.

"Uh," I chuckle uncomfortably, "I'm not really hungry. I get this way before a Scare event and always have to psych myself up."

"Ah…then pass that over, I'm starving," Helga directs gluttonously.

I gently push my plate full of steak over to Helga out of disgust and watch her toss the entire thing into her mouth, making even more of a mess. I never thought there would be a person who would be messier than Bruiser, but it turns out that Bruiser is quite literally a million times more well mannered than this woman. She's a child at the table and I don't ever want to see her ever again.

"Ok, I have to go back to campus. The Scare event starts soon and I can't keep the guys waiting," I divulge.

"Huh? We haven't even gotten to know each other though. I would like to know about your favorite genres of music, what your hobbies are, who your favorite Scarer is," Helga states in confusion.

"That's alright, we'll save it for next time. I'll be sure to give you a call for the next date," I assure untruthfully.

I stand up from the table and push my chair in before turning back to her and saying, "Hope you enjoy the show later tonight."

There's a little rustling before Helga can say anything. "Wait but I don't have your phone nu-"

"See you around," I say while raising my hand in the air and exiting the steakhouse.

Thank the lords above that that's all over and done with. There isn't any way in hell that I will be calling her back or even speaking to that insane lady ever again. I didn't even know that there was a fan club based around me! I thought something like that only existed in movies, like that's completely psychopathic! I need to let people know that if I ever get murdered one day, then they should be looking at that girl for the simple fact that she has an undying obsession with me, and that it would likely be her if it happened. I walk like I've never walked before, reaching my car and speeding off back to campus. Hopefully this next event goes smooth and I can finally get back to dealing with Oozma Kappa while spending time with Melanie. I've really missed that kind of normality lately.